“Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie announced Wednesday that she will work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic as a precaution because she “wasn’t feeling her best.”
“This show’s been around a long time … but never has this happened before,” Guthrie told viewers at the top of the show.
“Here’s what happened: I wasn’t feeling my best, a little sore throat, some sniffles. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but we are in different times, aren’t we?” she asked. “So in an abundance of caution, and also to really model the vigilance the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] is asking of all of us right now, we followed the advice of NBC’s medical team.”
“And so here I am, I’m working from home as we speak, and we’re still together,” the 48-year-old added. “And we’re gonna get this show on the air, and we have a lot of information we want to get to our viewers this morning.”
It was announced earlier this week that two other “Today” anchors, Al Roker and Craig Melvin, would work from home out of an abundance of caution after a staffer for the show’s third hour had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Hoda Kotb will continue to co-host “Today” from its midtown Manhattan studio.
President Trump announced new federal guidelines regarding social distancing at a press briefing Monday afternoon. Officials recommended that Americans for the next 15 days avoid gatherings of more than 10 people; abstain from eating in bars, restaurants and food courts; avoid discretionary travel; work from home; and incorporate home schooling if possible.
“We’d much rather be ahead of the curve than behind it,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room.
New York City schools are closed, affecting 1.1 million students. Broadway theaters have also shut down, as have the city’s bars and restaurants to ensure social distancing during the outbreak.